Alabama families at poverty line paid more in taxes in 2011 than any other state, group finds

View full sizeAlabama is among only 15 states levy state income taxes on families making less than the federal poverty level.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — A study by a nonprofit research group finds Alabama families living at the federal poverty line paid more in state income taxes in 2011 than families living in any other state.

The study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said a family of four making $23,018 owed $548 in Alabama income taxes. Only 15 states levy state income taxes on families making less than the federal poverty level. A similar family in Georgia would pay $273 and a Mississippi family would pay $103.

The executive director of the Alabama Citizens' Policy Project, Kimble Forrister, said Alabama's income tax for families at the poverty line is a stark reminder of how much the state's tax system requires of low-income citizens.